How Real Love Feels
by Lexington1289
Summary: When Gale cheats on Katniss with her sister, Katniss escapes to her best friends house. Will Peeta and Katniss kindle a new romance or will the past catch up with them?
1. Chapter 1

Oneshot summery: KALE and EVERLARK. When Gale cheats on Katniss with her sister, Katniss escapes to her best friend Peeta's house. Will Gale try to find her, and will Peeta repressed feelings for her?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

AN: i WROTE THE MAJORITY OF THIS STORY BUT HAD HELP FROM MY BEST FRIEND, RoBiNiSmYbOo. I hope you enjoy it and it is my first fanfic so no flames please. But I do appreciate constructive criticism! Please review! R&R!

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"Hey Gale, I'm home!" Katniss yelled into the seemingly empty house. "Gale? Hello? Are you home?" Katniss put down her veternarian bag and ste . "Hello? Hel-" Katniss was interrupted by suducive voices and low moans. "Oh, Gale, such-a-good-kisser." That voice was familiar. Her little duck. Prim.

Katniss sprinted two stairs at a time and busted through the ornate black door. A scream rang throughout the room. A half-naked couple was relaxed on the gold comforter. _"Who screamed?" _Katniss wondered in her head. Oh. She did. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! GO TO HELL!" Gale looked up, doe-eyed. His perfect face was contorted with stress. "Katniss, it's not what you think.

"OF COURSE IT'S WHAT I THINK IT IS!" Katniss screamed, tears running down her cheeks. She grabbed the first two pairs of clothes she saw and stormed out. "Katniss, please don't." She couldn't respond. She grabbed her wallet, keys and jumped in the car. As KAtniss backed out of the driveway and into the street, she could see a Prim with a silk nightgown on and Gale holding a towel, waving her back.

The tears had blurred her vision by the time she reached Peeta's house. The only person she could trust was her best friend. She couldn't even trust her sister. Which was pretty horrible. I mean come on her own sister! Their really was no one, except for him, and that's exactly who she was going to depend on.

"Ye- _Katniss_?" Peeta wore a surprised look when he answered the door. "Hi Peeta." Katniss replied sadly. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Gale was cheating on me, with Prim."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." He replied, barely repressing a smile. '_She's free now? Sweet!" _He then scolded himself, "_What am I thinking!? She just got her heart broken!"_

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

Hey guys, sorry about not completing it, it was supposed to be a one shot, but I don't have a computer at my house, only my iPhone so I had to do it at my friends house. I will try to come back here as soon as I can! See you next time! -Love, Lexington1289 :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok guys! I'm gonna finish the story so please, please, please review! It makes me happy! **

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Peeta gently hugged his best friend and then escorted her into his house.

Katniss sniffed into an already drenched tissue. "And that's the whole story?" Peeta asked, disgusted.

"YA."

"I'm really sorry that this happened to you."

"It's alright, I'm strong."

"Your little duck did this to you?" Katniss flinched at the sound of Prim's nickname.

"Can we please stop talking about it?!" She burst out, causing the echo to radiate around the empty kitchen.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I jus-" Katniss was cut off by Peeta. "No, it's alright. I was prying too much." Katniss said nothing.

They sat there in awkward silence, not saying a word and only moving to get Katniss more tissues. Finally, Peeta broke the silence. "Do you remember when we were kids?"He asked. Katniss moved her glance from the floor to his crisp blue eyes. "Ya, I do."

"How we spent every moment together?" Katniss smiled.

"Yes."

"I remember that one time when we were playing by the pond in the woods and we were looking for katniss roots and you stumbled into a bush."

"The thorn bush?"

"That's the one. And you couldn't get out of the bush and I was trying to help you out when the pack of wild dogs came?" Katniss shuddered at the memory and brushed her finger against a small scar on her hand.

"But you didn't run away and leave me there. You grabbed a few rocks and threw them into the pack. They ran away with their tails between their legs." Katniss finished.

"We were so scared. We ran home crying." Peeta sighed happily. The memory rested in their minds for a few moments until Peeta spoke again.

"It wasn't all fun and games though. Remember the time when my mother died." But this wasn't a question. It was evident that Katniss could retrieve the memory because she flinched and kept her stunning gray eyes closed.

"Yes." She whispered. She apparently didn't want to talk about it. But Peeta pressed on.

"My father was so sad, almost as sad as I was. My brothers were older, they could deal with it. But I was only seven. I still needed my mother." Katniss nodded, eyes still clenched shut. Peeta's plan to distract her from Gale was working.

'I know it was hard for you too. She was kinda like your replacement mother, since at the point in time your mother was swirling in and out of depression since your father was murdered." Katniss' eyes went tighter. She knew it would lead to that.

"You found me crying by the coffin, tears running down my cheeks and staining the collar of my tuxedo." Peeta paused, handing Katniss another tissue and giving himself one too. A minute passed. He took a breath.

"You put your hand on my shoulder. I turned around, wiping my tears with my hand, and there you were. You looked beautiful, even for a seven year old, in your slim gray dress that matched your eyes, with your hair in your signature braid. When you smiled sadly, it was clear you had been crying too. We went into a hug and didn't let go until the ceremony started and even then we didn't let go of each other's hands." Tears leaked out of Katniss' eyes.

"I'm sorry, I think I went too far, I'll just-" Peeta was cut off.

"No, this is actually making me feel better. Go on." Peeta thought for a moment.

"Can I tell one?" Katniss suddenly burst out. Peeta nodded.

"What about the time your first girlfriend dumped you in high school? You remember that?" Peeta nodded again.

"When I got in your rusted truck after school to go to the bakery with you, you were crying so hard that you couldn't breathe. We sat in the parking lot for an hour until you could drive again. And even then it took us twice the time it usually took to get there. Once we got to the bakery, you just ran up to your room and we talked. And talked. And talked. With your head in my lap, we talked about what she said, why she dumped you, who she dumped you for. You managed laughs because I was growling under my breath. Eventually, I had to home, but I promised to come back over as early as I could, since it was the weekend. You cried nonstop and I was there." Peeta was now the one with eyes clenched.

"I remember that. That wasn't a good memory. The only thing good was you." Katniss blushed. They sat in silence once more. _"I made him sad. Ok think. What would make him happy? Make him laugh? Ooh I got it!" _Katniss laughed. She laughed again. Pretty soon, Peeta opened his eyes to see why she was laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking of that one time when we were kids, probably twelve or thirteen, and you spent the night with me." Peeta burst out laughing, because he knew were this was going.

"My mom was ok with it and so was your dad so we spent the whole night eating Cheetos, playing Mario Kart, and ,of course, trying to stay awake. We woke up to my mom screaming and had no idea why. She was just staring at us and we were just staring at her. She had the most horrified expression on her face, and we looked up at her with upmost confusion. She screamed at you then, pulling you from the bed. My mom just near about killed you! She called your dad, and your dad came over and screamed at us too. We had no idea what he was talking about. What did he mean, we shouldn't be doing that? That we were too young? That we would never have another sleepover again? What was his problem? All we did was stay up late, as always, and accidentally fall asleep in my bed? What was so disgustingly gross about that? We were left to pondering it when your dad took you home and my mom gave me 'the talk.' Later that night you called and we laughed about it because our parents thought wrong. Our parents apologized and took us out for ice cream after that and everything was good." Katniss finished up, looking curiously at Peeta to see his reaction. He was laughing hard and soon Katniss was too. Katniss felt iPhone buzz in her pocket. She checked it. it said, Prim: PLEASE COME HOME. 7:32 p.m. Katniss frowned and sat her iPhone down again.

"What time is it anyways?" Peeta asked, looking down at his watch.

"Oh my god! I forgot all about dinner! Let me go make some casserole real quick." And Peeta flew to the stove. Katniss looked around.

"You need any help?" She asked.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." She thought for a second.

"Do you have any books?"

"Um, ya, I do. Third door to the right." Peeta replied over his shoulder, getting out foreign objects from the kitchen drawers.

"Ok thanks." Katniss called from down the hall.

"No problem." He replied.

"Oh wow." Katniss gasped. This wasn't just a random room. This was a random room full of books! Peeta had a library in his house! It was full of every kind of book there was. Mystery, romance, drama and even books about jobs. She grabbed a few mystery (avoiding the romance and drama because she had enough for one day) and sat in one of the leather upholstered chairs that ran along the wall with lamps between each one. Quickly, she got bored of the books and put them up. Katniss started looking for something else.

"Hmm. What do I want?" Katniss thought wanted Gale to not of cheated on her. She wanted to be able to trust Prim. She wanted everything to be back to normal. She wanted to sleep in her own bed, not Peeta's spare one in the back. Katniss shook her head. _"That doesn't matter now. It's already over and done with." _She thought. In her thoughts, she was automatically still walking, one hand on the book shelve, and eyes ahead so when she fell, it didn't surprise her.

"Ow." Katniss stood up and looked down to see what she stumbled on. A pile of books that what now scattered around her was the culprit. She sighed and reached down to clean up the books she spilt.

"Huh. That's strange." One of the books didn't have a title on the binding. Katniss flipped it open. There was no copyright, no title page, no author. She flipped through the pages. Huh. The pages were blank. She flipped back to the beginning. Wait, there was two pages in the beginning that were written in. It was in familiar scrawly handwriting. This was Peeta's journal. She slammed the book closed. _"I shouldn't be reading this. This is Peeta's private property. It's not mine. _Katniss slowly opened the book and flipped to the two pages.

**_Day 1: Katniss. That is all I think about. During school. At home. When I sleep. She is all I care about. My grades plummeted from me spending all my time with her and my father is getting suspicious. He never gets suspicious. Today, I was watching her during 6th period French 2. I wasn't paying attention. Actually, I was. I was paying attention to how fluently she pronounces words foreign to me and how her hair goes down her neck. I was called on and the teacher told me to say a sentence as long and as complex as I could. I could only think of how to say 'The girl in front of me is beautiful' but that would be creepy. I spat out a random sentence and Katniss turned around and looked horrified at me. Oh god, what did I say?! I looked up to the teacher. She glared at me. She grabbed my wrist and escorted me to the principals. They called my dad, and told him I called the teacher, 'A fat, lazy, couch potato with a mustache.' How did I even come up with that?! I couldn't say that now, I don't know how to. It's all because of Katniss. That beautiful, distracting girl._**

Katniss was horrified. She remembered that day in class. It was horrifying to think about because he was suspended for two days and grounded for a month. They couldn't talk for so long, it was frustrating. Katniss was thinking of that dreaded high school day when she heard footsteps down the hall. Big, heavy footsteps. Peeta could never keep quiet because of his bad leg. Katniss slammed the book shut and threw it to the side. She picked up a random pink book and opened it just as the door opened.

"Well, I see you found the books. What are you reading?" Peeta questioned.

"Um.. Just.. Ya know.. Fifteen Hot Guys In Speedos..." Katniss said nervous as she looked at the binding.

"You know how I like speedos and guys." That was lame. She just said that and it was lame.

"OK?" Peeta laughed. A ringing sounded off somewhere in the house. Peeta looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, I have to answer that. It's probably my dad, he's been having heart problems. The casserole is on the table." Peeta ran off to answer the phone. Katniss followed him with her eyes and waited until she knew he was gone to bend over and put the book in it's rightful place.

She was torn between stuffing her face with the delicious casserole or just pushing it around her plate. The thing with Gale made her so sad, she wanted to eat her feelings, but the thing with Gale made her so sad she didn't want to eat ever again. Katniss shifted in her seat, making it to where she could see Peeta. He still seemed engrossed in the conversation with the person on the phone, so it seemed safe to eat like the animal she was. Taking a second glance around, Katniss grabbed her fork and stuffed her mouth, chipmunk style. Barely taking time to chew, Katniss stuffed her mouth until the casserole was gone. Peeta working at the bakery really paid off. Katniss pushed back her chair and went to the sink to clean her plate. When Peeta heard the water run, he glanced around the corner. "Where do I put the dishes?" mouthed Katniss. "In the dishwasher. I'll be done in a second." He replied silently. She nodded and put the dishes in as quietly as she could. Katniss sat back down in the straight-backed wooden chair and drummed her fingers on the countertop waiting until Peeta had finished up.

"Ok, ok dad. Love you too. Call you tomorrow. Ok, ok. Love you. Yes, yes ok. Ok. Love you. Ok! Ok, bye." Peeta sighed, hanging up the phone. He looked at Katniss.

"Did I mention that he also has Don'tliketohangupthephoneitis?" Peeta smiled at his own corny joke. She smiled back at his blue eyes sparkling, alongside his smile. Katniss yawned involuntarily, her hand going up to cover her mouth politely.

"Oh, it's probably been a long day for you. I'll show you to your room." She follows Peeta through the hallways and up a flight of stairs to a white door. "Here's your room. The bathroom is right beside you. I'm sorry to run off and leave you like this, but I need to finish some writing and I kinda need to sleep tonight." Peeta smiled. Just as Peeta was about to descend down the stairs, Katniss called out.

"Thank you for everything." Peeta looked surprised at her. He leaned in and gave her a slow, soft kiss. "No, thank you." Peeta said as he pulled away and once again descended down the stairs.

Katniss sank into the water. This was way too weird. First Gale cheated on her. Now Peeta kissed her. She loved both of them, in ways she no longer knew. The only thing she was sure of was of the hot water swelling around her body as she sat herself in the steaming water. This was weird. Gale hadn't even tried to text her, even though she had gotten several from Prim apologizing. None to which she responded to. Katniss closed her eyes. The relaxing smell of the candle and the lowlights really did help though. Katniss opened her eyes again, feeling as though she was being watched. In the mirror directly ahead of her attached to the door was her. Nothing strange there. But behind her was Gale in the tux he wore when he asked her to marry him. His black hair was combed back and his gray eyes sparkled. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but a bath salt bag came and hit the mirror, causing it to fall and crash into a pile of dirty towels that was luckily underneath it. Katniss was breathing heavily. "I don't think I will stay in the tub anymore."She thought out loud. She grabbed her towel and pulled the plug out of the tub. This was too creepy. She brushed out her hair and dried off her wet body. She went through the spare closet until she found a long Yankees tee and some unused boxers in a pack. Still breathing heavily and heart rate not going down, Katniss crawled into the queen-sized bed and fluffed up the pillow. Katniss turned off the bedside lamp and focused on breathing in and out correctly. "Gale was just a vision. He wasn't really behind me. I'm not going crazy. I am just stressed." Katniss murmured as her words slurred. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard her phone buzz. Unconsciously grabbing her iPhone, she read the message. Her heart stopped and her breathing cut off short. The message read Gale: I'M COMING FOR U 11:57 p.m.

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I hope u liked it! I would like to thank my bffl, RoBiNsMyBoO and Katyuana for being my only review besides mine and my friend's. I really appreciated R.I.M.B and I finally ended the not-so-oneshot Oneshot! Please read and review because I want to know whether or not I should write another story! Please check out my friend's stories she might be reading soon and I love you guys! R&R!

- Lexington1289 3


	3. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! I'm back! I've decided to start again. At first I got no reviews but then they started rolling in and I think I got 6-9 reviews saying come back. In one day! My faithful followers were still there! I also wanted to say that the reason I stopped was because I lost everything I wrote on copy and paste, so they may be shorter chapters to prevent that from happening. I'm sorry for chewing your ear off, I'll start! Enjoy!**

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**_Katniss was falling. She spiraled through a colorful vortex, flailing her limbs, trying to get a hold. She found none. Katniss just kept falling deeper into the vortex that matched Peeta's and Gale's eyes exactly until suddenly she slammed onto ground that felt like solid concrete. She gasped, rolling on her stomach, trying to get air back into her lungs. Finally, she got up. Katniss scanned the area. Her mouth smiled when she saw no obstacles in her path and a door not twenty yards away. "I must be lucid dreaming. This hasn't ever happened to me before." She thought as she put her hand on the doorknob. But before she could open the door and escape, Katniss was roughly pulled back. She snarled and looked behind at her challenger, getting ready to claw their face in. It was Peeta. Correction, it was brainwashed-looking Peeta. He stared blankly at Katniss, no emotion on his face. His hand still clutched at the Yankee shirt Katniss wore. She took off his hand and once again stepped towards the door. She again was pulled back, but this time after facing Peeta, she was harshly slapped. "No! You can't leave me Katniss!" Katniss stopped dead still. Peeta slapped her and spoke, but in Gale's voice. "Oh great, another nightmare. The third this night. I'm getting out of here why I still can." Without a second thought, she slammed her fist in Peeta's face. What could she say? Her nightmares could become horrible things. In her mind, she thought of them as a competition to the death. Only one came out and tonight, she had not been the winner. She was going to be now. "I hope that it hurt the Gale part of him than the Peeta part." She thought, before yanking open the door and bathing in the light. _**

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Katniss opened her eyes uncomfortably. Someone had turned on the lights. Peeta looked thoughtfully at her. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but you looked like you were having a bad dream." He muttered. "No, you're fine. I was ready to get up anyways." Katniss yawned, stretching out her arms. She stepped out of the covers and followed Peeta to a delicious looking meal that sat out for her. "I'm sorry that I can't be eating with you. I need to go into town and run some errands. I could drive you into town to hang out with your friends or go to work or anything that you would possibly need. _"I already called work and told them a major family crisis was going on. Besides, she was high up in what she did. No one really wanted to argue with her. As for friends, I don't really have any. Except for Prim and Peeta, she had no other friends. I would offer Peeta my spare money, but he would never take it." "_No thanks Peeta, but if you don't mind, I'll stay right here." She said, smiling sweetly. "Ok, but I'll be gone until 7. Is that alright with you?" Yes, alone time! "Ya, that's fine." He looked suspiciously at her until agreeing. He shrugged his coat on and grabbed his phone and wallet. "Call me if you need me." He called as he walked out the door.

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The rest of the day went by slowly. Katniss had eaten the omelette, and gone upstairs. She brushed her hair, pulled on clothes, and dabbed on the little makeup she had in her purse. She cleaned the house, something it seemed like Peeta wasn't good at. Finally, she thought he had no flaws! She read, and took a walk, and sat at the Park. Her eyes followed a baby in a pink stroller. She loved babies. Katniss finally had to leave due to the fact that the babies made her miss Gale and their forgotten future together. Besides, the sky was starting to darken. She needed to get home at make dinner for Peeta.

Katniss stood over the bubbling pot. It smelled so good, she had to remind herself it was for herself and Peeta, not just herself. The clock was at 6:47 when she heard the doorbell ring. _"Just in time for dinner."_ Katniss thought. She had just fixed up the table and set the steaming pasta in the bowls. Katniss rinsed her hands and opened the door. It wasn't Peeta. It was a little baby girl, wrapped up poorly in a shabby blanket.

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**Her name is Rue. I found I could not take care of her since my husband died and we lost everything we had. I had tried putting her in orphanages, but everyone I tried ended up abusing her. The bruises you see running down her cheek are not my fault. I've noticed how sweet a couple you two are. I thought that you would take care of my baby. I only trust you. Please don't give her to anyone else. I trust you. Especially you girl. I'm sorry that I must do this, but I must if I love her. Love, me.**

****Katniss fingered the small note before flicking it to the table. Rue rested peacefully in her arms, not making a sound. "I think she's an easy baby." "Why is there a baby in the kitchen?!" Peeta's strained voice called from around the corner. Katniss' head pulled up from the baby's purple eyelids to Peetas curious blue eyes. Katniss silently handed the note to Peeta. He read it and looked down at Katniss. She was staring sweetly at the baby, at he perfect sign of motherhood. "I guess there's only one thing we can do." He said as he squatted besides Katniss and Rue. "what?" She asked. Peeta kissed the baby's head. "Keep her. After all, we do make a good couple." He smiled jokingly at Katniss. She smiled, but deep inside she felt her stomach flutter. What was that for? She couldn't possible have feelings for him could she?

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**I hope you enjoyed it! I really loved writing this one because of some changes I made. I apologize for any typos, my phone was being mean. I hope I wasn't too rusty, and I hoped you enjoyed! I will most likely be updating on Thursday. Love you! Love always, Lexington1289**


	4. Credit!

Please don't kill me for doing one of these again. This may be my last one. i tried to use everyone's ideas to get them involved in it and really love it so here we go! Almost everyone's ideas! Credit to everyone!

Chap. 3- Katyuna

Chap. 4- My Idea

Chap. 5-8- Guest

Chap. 9- My idea, Number One Fan, and others

Chap. 10- iPunchdaTree

i don't remember if they were pm's or reviews but if they are reviews, please don't check. I only posted this to give credit to people who deserved it and because I'm very forgetful. Please don't check unless you don't like surprises and don't care. Don't blame me if you ruin it for yourself. I love y'all and have an awesome day! Bisous! (French for kisses) Love always, Lexington1289 aka Lexie


	5. Actual Chapter 4

"If we are going to keep this baby, we need to be ready. Are you sure you want to keep her? We can put her in an orphanage." Peeta asked Katniss. He already knew her answer and didn't even know why he asked. Katniss staring down sweetly at the child was answer enough. "I'm keeping her." she said firmly. "Alright, guess that's it." Katniss nodded but in her head she was thinking, _"I am ready to raise a child but with Peeta? Sure he's my best friend and all but when I thought of having a kid, I thought it would be with Gale. Guess that won't happen now..."_

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Next day:

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"Peeta! I need to ask a favor!" Katniss shouted down the hall. She peeked into his study. Not there. Kitchen. Not there. Her room. Not there. He wasn't around. Katniss wouldn't of usually been frightened if Peeta went somewhere without her knowing, but for some reason she was scared. Why, she didn't know. "What do you need?" Peeta asked, appearing in front of her suddenly. "Where were you?" "I was in the backyard showing Rue the garden. She seems to enjoy the outside very much. Especially the trees." He answered, pointing to a slightly sleepy Rue on his shoulder. He was fine. "Oh ok. Just wondering. Anyways, could I ask a favor?" "Of course." "Could you drive me to Gales house. I need to get some stuff." Peeta tensed up, but tried to hide it unsuccessfully. "Are you sure?" "Yes. Gale's at work and I still have the garage combination, the key to the front and back door, and the keypad combination. If all else fails, I still have a credit card to get in. But we don't have to go if you don't want to." Katniss finished. "No, it's alright. If you have a reason to, by all means let's." Peeta s finished, giving her a forced smile. He handed her Rue and opened the car door for her. Katniss got inside and buckled Rue's baby carriage through the seatbelt. Peeta looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "My mom taught me when Prim was a baby. We didn't have a whole lot of money." Katniss admitted sheepishly. "I'm sure you would of figured out a way anyways. You are very clever." Peeta told her. She blushed. Once Rue was safely in her makeshift car seat, they headed to her old house.

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Memories of her and Gale rushed back once she spotted the house. Although it couldn't of been more than a week, it seemed longer. Because she could practically see her excitement all those days ago when Gale had showed her the "surprise" when he had asked her to marry him. The house was a surprise gift from him. Or the day when she learned her aunt Delly died. He held her all through out the night as she cried. As the memories flooded back, Peeta put his hand on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked. Katniss nodded but couldn't keep the tears from slipping out. Peeta pulled her into a tight embrace. Katniss stiffened. They hadn't hugged in so long. It felt nice. She molded into him and let him rock her slightly. It calmed her down. Katniss wasn't the one to pull away either. "There. See, it's all okay. Nothing to worry about." He smiled. She still hugged onto him. She couldn't seem to stop. Peeta smiled and planted a kiss on her head. "Go. We still need to drop by Babies-R-Us." She nodded and bravely unlocked the door and went inside.

The house seemed the same, except for it was slightly less kept. And takeout containers poked out of the trash can. This place was getting to her. She wanted to clean and then take a jacuzzi bath. Katniss shook her head and ran upstairs. She grabbed all of her clothes and the secret stash of money hidden in her winter boots. Katniss left as quickly as she came.

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Katniss rolled on her back. She couldn't stop thinking about what that lady said to them at the store. They were in the checkout line in Wal-mart. They had already been to the baby store and had got all the necessary items and even some unnecessary items that Peeta the Spoiler couldn't live without giving to Rue. It was clear that Peeta was a baby person but he never bonded with a child this fast. Katniss had guessed it was because she was his child but still was amazed by this. Anyways, they had gotten clothes, formula, bottles, treats, eating utensils, toys, car seat, everything she needed. Including a quaint little sling for either Katniss or Peeta could wear. In fact, as they checked out their groceries, Peeta was wearing the sling with pride. The old cashier looked at them and said "You make a great family." Katniss smiled, but she was startled. Peeta nodded and said "Thank you." He actually acknowledged it! He didn't deny it! She looked at the cashiers name tag and cursed her. She didn't know what to say after that. All she could think about why she laid in bed was how Peeta kissed her and said nothing more about it. But why did...? She didn't know. She just sighed and went to sleep, thinking about Rue and a greasy cashier named Sae.

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Gale was shocked. He had returned from work and opened his closet to retrieve his sweats and he found the closet half empty. Katniss' stuff was all gone. How could he had not noticed? Who got the stuff for her? Only one way to find out. He opened the door by the guest bathroom door. It was a unused closet, or at least was. It was until two days ago he installed a security camera system. He rewinded it and watched. He saw every move Katniss made. He also saw something very interesting. When Katniss hurried out the door, something dropped on the kitchen floor. When he paused the video and zoomed in, Gale saw as piece of her mail that had been sent to a new address. He laughed. "Gotcha."

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**Don't you just hate Gale? I finally got a chapter out a day late but it's here. I personally liked it, because I slipped in some characters with special names! I still haven't got any reviews saying whether or not you want me to write on Mondays or Wednesdays but you still have time! Also, while your doing that, tell me if you want a happy or sad ending. We still have a lot more chapters to go but I just want to plan ahead. Anyways, R&R and I will see next time! Love y'all! -Lexington1289 aka Lexie**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I'm back. I'm sorry for keeping you in suspense for so long, but sadly I did not get a laptop (yet) so I will continue doing this on my phone. This chapter will probably be a little short and not-so well-written because I'm pretty rusty. I hope you enjoy because the romantic tension and action/drama is just about to begin!**

Katniss sat the kitchen table, tending to the little baby. Rue quietly drank her bottle formula, staring at Peeta who was reading the newspaper. It had been the first day Katniss had tried to make breakfast and failed miserably at it. She could make dinner and lunch, but surprisingly not breakfast for reasons unknown to her. But Peeta had suffered silently, exclaiming how it good it was and asking why she thrown it away after taking one bite. All she had to do was give him one look and he laughed and said, "Alright, maybe its not the best." Rue jerked a little in her grasp, but Katniss was too preoccupied. She was thinking about yesterday, the jolts that went through her stomach when she thought about Peeta, or the kiss he gave her that one night, or when he said they made a great couple, or even when he thanked that old cashier at Babies-R-Us. The fact that she blushed when he told her she was very clever. This was bad. Very bad. She didn't need a relationship when she wasn't even sure what her and Gale's were anymore. He hadn't texted her again after that one night. Maybe he was too busy with her younger sister to think about her. Maybe being with Peeta would be a good idea. After all, they adopted Rue basically. Maybe she rushed into the whole Peeta-Rue thing. Maybe she should give Gale another chance. Katniss glanced over at Peeta, who was making silly faces at Rue and smiled. Maybe not.

"Katniss, I need to go now." Peeta said to her. She was standing in the living room, dressed in a nice red dress and sandals when he came into the living room, buttoning up his shirt. "Where are you going all dressed up?" He asked, smiling. Rue was in her baby carriage, gargling happily.

"Um, I'm visiting my friend Johanna."

"Oh ok. With the baby?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, could you take her? You know how Johanna is." Johanna and Peeta had a rivalry going on during high school. Katniss was the only thing that kept them from ripping each other's throats out.

"Ya, no problem. I'm just running some errands and stopping by the office and check up on the newspaper this week."

Katniss nodded and checked the time. 12:13 p.m.

"Ok, gotta meet Johanna in 20 mins at the Café. Better leave now." She stated, leaning over Rue. "Have a good day ok, baby?" She kissed her forehead and then walked over to Peeta. She pulled him in for a quick hug and stepped back to inspect how he looked. Black slacks, white Oxford. All good.

Peeta smiled at her and leaned in for a kiss. Katniss' eyes went wide and she side-stepped him, pretending to grab Rue's carriage.

"Here you go." Katniss said quickly and fast-walked out the door and started up her car. She did not need to be kissed by Peeta. She decided to distance herself from Peeta until she made her decision on who she wanted to be with.

Peeta looked down the driveway to where Katniss had just left. What was wrong with him? He tried to kiss a married woman. It was bad enough they were keeping a child for a woman they never even met, he had to tried to kiss her. And she pretended not to notice. What was wrong with him? If Gale ever found out, he would kill him. If he wasn't too busy cheating. His angry thought were interrupted by a crying Rue, looking down the driveway for her mama. "I know, I know. I miss her too."

Gale found it deathly necessary to call off work today. He said it was a family emergency and simply hung up. No time for crap today. Very carefully, he entered the address into his GPS on his phone. After a few pain-staking moments, the loading icon disappeared and a female voice came on, telling him to turn or continue down the street he needed. He arrived at nice little house on the corner. The grass was green and flowers were everywhere. Gale scoffed. "Manly, ya right." He didn't let Katniss do that to his house, but apparently Mr. Mellark here decided that he'd do it himself. Pathetic. Oh well, all the easier to get Katniss back from him. She was his and his only.

Johanna had provided the girl break she needed. After they had talked and ate, Johanna had to leave to go to her probation meeting for attacking her ex with a brick. "Oh Johanna." Katniss smiled thinking about her friend. Pulling into the post office parking lot, she turned off the ignition and searched through her purse for the birthday card for her cousin Annie's birthday. Looking all around the car and her purse and in the dashboard, she deducted she left it at home. "What time was it?" She wondered. Katniss pulled out her phone. 1:22p.m. She had plenty of time to grab the birthday card. It would be fine. Just as she was about to pull out and head home, her phone buzzed. Gasping, she tried to catch her breath. It read: **Gale- WATCH UR BACK LITTLE MISS PRINCESS. GOOD LUCK, ULL NEED IT.**

**What do you think? I am hating Gale more and more! I know it was short and not very good, but it was the break I needed. This weekend was very stressful. ****. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! I haven't got any answers telling me if you want a happy or sad ending, and I'm only picking one! So if you want to see the ending you want, I would review. MWAHAHAHAHA! Lol, just kidding. But seriously folks, review!**


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